Tag Archive: new mexico

The Geminid meteor shower is the favorite of most meteor observers as it usually provides the strongest display of the year. On the peak night (December 13/14) between the hours of 1:00 and 2:00am local standard time (LST), an observer located in mid-northern latitudes under clear skies has the opportunity to view at least 75 Geminid meteors.

The AMS has received over 55 reports so far about of a fireball event seen above Florida on December 5th, 2017 around 6:35pm EST (11:35 Universal Time). This event has been caught on tape by at least 2 witnesses.

The AMS has received over 120 reports so far about of a fireball event seen above Pennsylvania on December 2nd, 2017 around 03:10am EST (08:10 Universal Time). The fireball was seen primarily from Pennsylvania but was also seen from 12 other states.

The estimated total hourly meteor rates for evening observers this week is near 3 as seen from mid-northern latitudes (45N) and 2 as seen from tropical southern locations (25S). For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates should be near 15...

During this period the moon will reach its first quarter phase on Sunday November 26th. At this time the half-illuminated moon will lie 90 degrees east of the sun and will set near 2300 (11pm) local standard time (LST). The moon will interfere with evening observing but will set before the more active morning hours arrive. Toward the end of this period the waxing gibbous moon will remain in the sky most of the night, obscuring all but the brighter meteors.

During this period the moon will reach its new phase on Saturday November 18th. At this time the moon will lie near the sun and will be invisible at night. Next week the waxing crescent moon will enter the evening sky but will not interfere with meteor observing.

The AMS has received over 200 reports so far about of a fireball event seen above NY State on November 11th, 2017 around 09:20pm EST (02:20 Universal Time). The fireball was seen primarily from New York and Pennsylvania but was also seen from Michigan, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Delaware, Connecticut, West Virginia, Vermont and Ontario and Québec (Canada).

During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Saturday November 11th. At this time the half-illuminated moon will rise near midnight local standard time (LST) and will remain above the horizon the remainder of the night. The moon will be bright but successful meteor watches can be conducted if you face away from the lunar glare. Viewing circumstances improve with each passing night as the moon's phase wanes and it rises later in the morning.

Since 2011, the American Meteor Society (AMS) online fireball report form has been translated in 30 different languages. We now receive thousands of reports from all around the world. Lately, we received more than 120 reports about a Fireball event that occurred over South East of France (Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur) on October, 30th.

As the week progresses the evening hours become more favorable for viewing as the moon rises later in the night. Unfortunately the evening hours are usually slow with rates rarely surpassing 5 per hour. This is a good time to try an catch a bright Taurid meteor or perhaps a rare Andromedid!

On October 25th 3:42am MDT (09:42 UT), amateur radio astronomer Thomas Ashcraft caught an Earth-grazer Fireball over his personal observatory "Heliotown" in Lamy, New Mexico. Earth-grazing fireballs are a bright meteors that enter Earth’s atmosphere at a very shallow angle and skim along the top of the atmosphere. Some actually re-enter space. Ashcraft combines all-sky video camera observations with a...

The AMS has received nearly 200 reports so far about of a daytime fireball event seen above NY State on October 18th, 2017 around 03:00pm EDT (19:00 Universal Time). The fireball was seen primarily from New York and New Jersey but was also seen from Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland and New Hampshire.

During this period the moon will reach its first quarter phase on Friday October 27th. At this time the moon will be located 90 degrees east of the sun and will set near midnight local daylight saving time (LDT) for observers viewing from mid-northern latitudes. This weekend the waxing crescent moon will set shortly after dusk and will not interfere with meteor observing...

The Orionids, like all meteor showers, are named after the constellation in which they appear to come from, which in this case is Orion. Remnants from this shower come from Halley's Comet, officially designated 1P/Halley.

For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates for this week should be near 17 as seen from mid-northern latitudes and 16 from the southern tropics. The actual rates will also depend on factors such as...

On October, 9, 1992, a very bright fireball flew over West Virginia, traveled some 700km (435 miles) north-east and ended-up its flight over the Peekskill northern Westchester County. This event is among the most historic meteorite events on record...

During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Thursday October 12th. At this time the moon will be located 90 degrees west of the sun and will rise near 2300 local daylight saving time (LDT). This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the late evening hours creating difficult conditions to see meteor activity the remainder of the night due to the moon's glare.

During this period the moon will reach its full phase on Thursday October 5th. At this time the moon will be located opposite the sun and will lie above the horizon all night long. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours, allowing meteor observers a few hours of dark skies before the first light of dawn.

Meteor Showers

Next major shower peak:

The Geminids are usually the strongest meteor shower of the year and
meteor enthusiasts are certain to circle December 13 and 14 on their
calendars. This is the one major shower that provides good activity
prior to midnight as the constellation of Gemini is well placed from
10pm onward. The Geminids…

About Us

The American Meteor Society, Ltd. is a non-profit scientific organization founded in 1911 and established to inform, encourage, and support the research activities of both amateur and professional astronomers who are interested in the fascinating field of Meteor Astronomy. Our affiliates observe, monitor, collect data on, study, and report on meteors, meteor showers, fireballs, and related meteoric phenomena. Please note that the AMS does not deal in meteorites.

Comments and Questions may be directed to the AMS Operations Manager Mike Hankey.